A Deeper Dive: My Thoughts ABOUT Haley Armstrong on Hoosier Heartland Podcast

Written By: Ben Malcomson (@BenMalcomson)

Welcome to the first edition of “A Deeper Dive”. Basically, I am going to start writing my thoughts out after each episode now and going forward. This all starts with Haley Armstrong, a student athlete from the Indiana Volleyball program.

Below is the video and audio only files from the show to check out. WARNING: I would HIGHLY recommend watching this show BEFORE reading this article. It does contain spoilers.

Click here to watch the video version of the show over our YouTube channel.

Click here to listen to the audio only version. This is SoundCloud. You can search and find us on other podcast platforms as well: Apple, Stitcher, etc.

Lately, I have been catching myself saying or wanting to utter the words “Welcome to another episode of Hoosier Heartland” at the beginning of each podcast.  In reality, it is not JUST ANOTHER EPISODE.  Each show we do is special to us. 

In the past, we have been fortunate to host the likes of Coach Steve Aird and Assistant Coach Krista Vansant speak with us.  Both of them were fantastic people who left us feeling grateful for their time, better fans because of it, and what started as a friendship ends up feeling deeper than that.  Our guests become like family to us. These types of opportunities only aid us in becoming more educated and better fans/supporters of the program we love. We have also had the privilege to speak to student athletes along this journey.  Each one bringing their own unique story to the table.  If you have known me for some time, you know by now that I love to hear stories.  Each of us has a story to live out and a story to tell. These young men and women are telling us THEIR story.  Well, up to this point in their lives.

Tonight’s episode was no different.  We welcomed our first ever Indiana Volleyball student athlete to the show.  Her name was Haley Armstrong. To an outsider, you may just see only that….her first and last name.

You have no idea who she is, what type of personality she has, what she is passionate about, loses sleep over, strives to accomplish, etc.  If you were only to scratch the surface, you will forever see her as just another name.  Another athlete that will be there and gone in time and replaced by another athlete.  If we had that mentality, then yes, it would be “just another episode”.  Only when you take the time to invest in her do you realize that she is so much more.

We wanted more.  We yearned to know and understand Haley Armstrong the student, the athlete, and the human being. So, I pause now while writing and ask myself:

What did I learn from speaking with Haley?

What did I grow to understand?

What impact did she leave with me?

What impact did we leave on her?

If you have read up to this point, then you know I am going to tell you all about.  Hell, I am a Malcomson after all.  We do love to talk!

What did I learn from speaking with Haley?

A lot.  That sounds like a cheap response.  But it sums it up well.  I went into this show wanting to get to know Haley more.  We had the opportunity to break the ice with her, learn about her childhood, her prep career, and her time at Indiana.

What did I grow to understand?

Lately, I have been BIG on wanting to grasp a deeper appreciation and respect for THE student athlete.  Organically, we gain more knowledge each episode with a different player.  The past two shows have pushed me to want to understand even more.  Haley is one of those who not just touched on the topic, she put us in her shoes at various moments describing to us what a day looks like attempting to balance studies and sport.  And let me tell you, my ass couldn’t do it!  In turn, it makes me appreciate her having that drive and determination.  I have never been good about balancing studies with anything.  It was not that I was lazy.  I just did not logically invest in myself to identify what it was going to take to succeed with it.  Haley knows what it takes, can talk about it, and most importantly, she goes and does it!

What impact did she leave with me?

Profound.  We received a gracious chance to get to know Haley on such a level that even though we were all on a virtual chat, we found ourselves so absorbed into the conversation with her that everything around us just sort of stood still.  Any stress weighing on me was non-existent.  It was therapeutic.  It actually was the closest I have felt to being in the same room with someone without being in the same room with them.  Does that make sense?

The biggest takeaway was seeing the raw, genuine emotion of joy and happy tears when we surprised her with her former elementary teacher and first ever volleyball coach, Ben White.  Being a part of it and witnessing the visible emotions it was doing to both Haley and Ben was something on another level.  One of the most profoundly, powerful, and impactful moments I have ever been a part of in my podcasting journey.  To see how much it meant to two people just sharing a moment in seeing one another. An important character from each other’s book of life. Reunited. It was beautiful. My co-hosts Robie and Kathie echo those same sentiments.

What impact did we have on her?

She did say that she would be willing to come back on the show again in the future.  That is a huge plus! We want our guests to feel comfortable.  I told her “This is not an interview.”  This is us having a genuine conversation with no time constraint.  Haley was all smiles about 99.9% of the time - the point .1% was her drinking water because she was thirsty.  We are almost betting that her face still hurts after it from smiling so much.  She was kind, invested in the conversation, and showed no signs of “Hey, I need to get the hell out of here” kind of vibe.  If anything, we witnessed her draw more and more absorbed herself into the conversation. Edging closer to the screen as she listened to us carry on with one another for meaning, laughs, and more.

In closing, Haley Armstrong is someone that gave us a chance.  She gave us HER TIME.  Her precious time.  If 2020 has taught us something, it is a reminder how fragile life can be.  I truly believe the greatest thing you can give someone is your time.  Being there.  Living in the moment.  That what we were doing was not just another thing on just another day of week.  It was something more. Something that means EVERYTHING to us. In that moment, we were right where we wanted to be.

Watch it, folks.  Listen even.  You will not regret it.

This is Haley’s story.  We were just along for the ride.

Go Hoosiers!  #iuvb